The compendium of space debris mitigation standards adopted by States and international organizations has been developed as a contribution of Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and in reference to the agenda item of its Legal Subcommittee on "General exchange of information and views on legal mechanisms relating to space debris mitigation measures, taking into account the work of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee". The aim of the compendium is to inform States of the current instruments and measures that have been implemented by States and international organizations.
The initial version of the Compendium has been made available to the Legal Subcommittee at its fifty-third session held in Vienna from 24 March to 4 April 2014 under agenda item 11 of the provisional agenda of the session ( A/AC.105/C.2/L.292 ) as a conference room paper A/AC.105/C.2/2014/CRP.15, supplemented by a contribution to the Compendium, contained in A/AC.105/C.2/2014/CRP.15/Add.1.
At that session, the Legal Subcommittee noted with appreciation the development of the Compendium by Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany, and requested those delegations to continue their work on the compendium with a view to increasing the number of States and international organizations included therein. The Subcommittee further requested that the compendium be provided to the Secretariat prior to the fifty-seventh session of the Committee, in June 2014 ( A/AC.105/1067, para 154 ).
An updated Compendium was provided to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at its fifty-seventh session held in Vienna from 11 to 20 June 2014 as a conference room paper A/AC.105/2014/CRP.13. Editorial support in compiling and finalizing the Compendium was provided to Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany by the Legal Services Department of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Committee expressed its appreciation to Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany for the development of the compendium and requested the Secretariat to maintain the compendium on a dedicated page of the website of the Office for Outer Space Affairs ( A/69/20, para. 261 ).
The Committee agreed that member States of the Committee and international intergovernmental organizations with permanent observer status with the Committee should be invited to provide or update the information on any legislation or standards adopted with regard to space debris mitigation, using the template provided for that purpose. The Committee also agreed that all other States Members of the United Nations should be invited to contribute to the compendium, encouraging States with such regulations or standards to provide information on them.
Updates to the compendium were distributed as conference room papers:
A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.9 at the 52nd session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee
A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.20 at the 54th session of the Legal Subcommittee
A/AC.105/C.1/2016/CRP.9 at the 53rd session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee
A/AC.105/C.2/2016/CRP.16 at the 55th session of the Legal Subcommittee
A/AC.105/C.2/2019/CRP.14 at the 58th session of the Legal Subcommittee
A.AC.105/C2/2021/CRP.19 at the 60th session of the Legal Subcommittee
A/AC.105/C.2/2023/CRP.39 at the 55th session of the Legal Subcommittee
A/AC.105/2023/CRP.12 at the 66th session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
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